Worth remembering
- You can look up at Preikestolen from the water on a fjord cruise, or stand on the plateau after a hike from the trailhead. Both begin in Stavanger.
- The electric cruise to Lysefjord and Preikestolen lasts 3.5 hours and is wheelchair accessible, with an audio guide.[1]
- The hike is less than 10km (6.2 miles) long with an elevation gain of just over 600m and takes about 3 to 4 hours to complete.[2]
- Preikestolen rises 604 metres above the Lysefjord in Ryfylke.[3] On the boat you look up at it; on the plateau you look down.
- Take the boat for an easy, seated day on the water. Take the trail if you want to stand on the cliff edge itself.
- Top choice Electric fjord cruise from US$75 Duration3.5 hours[1]Rating4.62 from 9,730 reviews[1]AccessWheelchair accessible[1]Guide and audioAudio guide: English, Norwegian[1] Check availability
- Low-emission cruise from US$76 Duration2.5 hours[4]Rating4.81 from 2,256 reviews[4]AccessWheelchair accessible[4]Guide and audioAudio guide and driver guide[4] See this tour
- Preikestolen guided hike from US$168 Duration6 hours[5]Rating4.80 from 439 reviews[5]AccessA walk on footGuide and audioLive guide[5] See this tour
The hiking trail to Preikestolen is open year-round. Hiking Preikestolen off-season is a unique experience that offers different views and challenges.
Boat, hike, or both: our verdict
Pre-booking checklist
Can you see Pulpit Rock from the boat?
The short answer is yes. Preikestolen, the Pulpit Rock, sits on the north side of Lysefjord, and the fjord is deep and wide enough for a sightseeing boat to sail right past it. The electric fjord cruise from Stavanger covers the route in 3.5 hours, with stops at Fantahala, Pulpit Rock and Hengjanefossen Waterfall.[1] Preikestolen rises 604 metres above the Lysefjord in Ryfylke.[3] From the deck, the cliff fills the sky above you. The Lysefjord is approximately 40 kilometres long and up to 422 metres deep, shallowing to only 13 metres near Oanes and Forsand.[7]
What you see from the water is the whole shape of the fjord rather than a single ledge. The boat slips between rock walls that drop into green water, past small farms and quiet side valleys. The plateau appears as a flat, dark line high above, and only when you are almost beneath it does the square edge resolve. Hengjanefossen waterfall has an impressive height of around 400 meters,[8] and on a windy day the spray reaches the deck. The fjord was formed during the last Ice Age, approximately 10,000 years ago, when colossal glaciers carved deep valleys into the landscape.[9]
The Pulpit Rock hike: length, difficulty and what it demands
Preikestolen is a plateau rather than a peak, and the trail to it is a long climb, not a technical scramble. The hike is less than 10km (6.2 miles) long with an elevation gain of just over 600m and takes about 3 to 4 hours to complete.[2] Much of the route is built: stone steps cut into the slope, boardwalks over boggy ground, and long stretches of bare rock that need care when wet. You do not need ropes, a harness or climbing experience. You do need shoes with grip and a layer you can take off. The climb warms you up; the wind on the plateau cools you down again.
Guided versions run to different lengths. A hike with a local guide is listed at 6 hours,[5] while a local guided hike to Preikestolen is listed at 4 hours.[10] Winter and sunrise trips are longer: a guided winter hike to Pulpit Rock is listed at 9 hours,[11] and a sunrise hike with buffet breakfast at 8.5 hours.[12] The hiking trail to Preikestolen is open year-round, including during the winter off-season.[13] That does not make a winter ascent casual. Ice, short daylight and sudden weather are real, and going with someone who knows the route in those conditions is a sensible choice.
Green water, high rock walls on both sides and a waterfall ahead
Cruise and hike in one day: is it realistic?
It can be done, but the day needs organising. The electric cruise from Stavanger takes 3.5 hours.[1] The hike takes about 3 to 4 hours at an easy pace.[2] Add the journey to the trailhead on top of that. The Lysefjord is 41 miles (66 km) from Stavanger and the drive takes around an hour and a half.[14] Start early, and treat the boat as the relaxed half of the day.
If you would rather not stitch the two together, combined tours do it for you. A RIB safari and hike combo is listed at 7 hours.[15] A winter version with a Lysefjord cruise and a guided hike runs 9 hours.[16] Both put you on the water below the cliff and on the plateau above it in a single booking. The trade-off is pace. On a group day the time on the cliff is set by the schedule, not by you.
For a first visit, picking one experience and doing it properly is often the better day out. A rushed version of both leaves you with a short spell on the plateau and a boat trip spent watching the clock.
What the boat view offers that hiking does not
Seeing Preikestolen from Stavanger by boat gives you the fjord as one panorama. You see the cliff in proportion to everything around it: the waterfall dropping beside it, the shoulders of rock on either side, the water shifting from green to grey as the light changes. On foot you are inside the landscape, watching the steps. On the boat you watch the landscape slide past, and you can take photographs without stopping to catch your breath.
The cruise is also the easier day out. The electric cruise to Lysefjord and Preikestolen is wheelchair accessible and carries an audio guide in English and Norwegian.[1] You sit, you look, you listen, and you are back in Stavanger within the same half of the day. There is no packing list, no trailhead to find, and no weather decision beyond a windproof layer. For families with small children, older travellers or anyone arriving off a long flight, that is the version that actually happens.
The route also covers ground a hiker never sees. The boat passes Fantahala, where the fjord narrows between high walls, and continues to Hengjanefossen Waterfall, a long white ribbon down the rock.[1] From the plateau your view is the water far below and the far shore, not the cliff face itself.
from US$75
The electric fjord cruise to Lysefjord and Preikestolen runs 3.5 hours, carries an audio guide and is wheelchair accessible.[1]
What you miss by staying on the boat
You miss the ledge. Preikestolen rises 604 metres above the Lysefjord,[3] and the reward of the hike is standing on the flat top and looking down at the water, the boats and the far side of the fjord. From below, the cliff reads as a shape. From above, it reads as a drop. The guided hike with a local guide is rated 4.80 from 439 reviews.[5]
You also miss the walk itself. The climb is the day: stone steps, wet birch and pine, the moment the plateau appears at eye level, the shared nod with other walkers coming down. The hours on the trail can be as memorable as the view.
Beyond Preikestolen there is a wider set of things the boat cannot reach. Flørli has a stairway of 4444 steps.[17] Lysevegen winds up from Lysebotn with 27 hairpin bends.[18] The Kjerag hike is a strenuous 12 km trail to a boulder wedged 1,000 meters above Lysefjord.[19] Each of these needs its own day. That is the argument for staying in the region a little longer rather than treating Stavanger as a single stop.
Who suits the cruise and who suits the hike
Take the cruise if you want the view with the least effort, if someone in your group uses a wheelchair or finds uneven ground hard, if your time in Stavanger is short, or if the forecast is poor and you would rather be indoors with a big window. The electric cruise is wheelchair accessible and runs 3.5 hours.[1] Shorter options exist: a RIB tour to Lysefjord and Preikestolen takes 2 hours.[20]
Take the hike if the plateau is the whole point, if you walk regularly and if you can give up most of a day. The trail is less than 10km with just over 600m of ascent and takes about 3 to 4 hours,[2] and it stays open year-round.[13] Winter changes the day completely; a guided winter hike to Pulpit Rock is listed at 9 hours.[11]
Between the two sits kayaking. Private guided kayak tours on the Lysefjord are organised for groups of up to 12 people.[21] You are on the water at eye level, closer to the rock than any deck, and you cover far less distance than the boat.
Making your decision: which experience to choose
If you have a single day in Stavanger, take the cruise. It fits around a port call, a train or a flight, it runs 3.5 hours,[1] and it delivers both the fjord scenery and a good look at Preikestolen. If you have a full day and steady legs, hike. If you have time for both, do the boat first for the overview and the trail on a separate day.
Getting here is straightforward. Cruise ships dock at Skagenkaien, Strandkaien or Skansekaien in Vågen, Stavanger's city-centre inner harbour.[22] From Oslo, the Sørlandsbanen train takes around seven to eight hours.[23] Whichever you choose, book before you travel rather than on the morning.
The real choice is what kind of day you want. Sitting on a deck while a 604 metre cliff slides past is one pleasure.[3] Standing on the edge of it with the wind coming up the fjord is another. Both are worth the trip. Only one of them asks you to climb.
How long each way to Preikestolen takes
Compare from prices in US dollars
From prices in US dollars for each listing:[1][4][5][20]
When to go and when to book
Plan your Lysefjord day
Choose your version
Decide between the water and the trail before you book. Both start in Stavanger and both show you Preikestolen.
Check the hours
The electric cruise takes 3.5 hours[1] and the hike takes about 3 to 4 hours.[2] Check that either fits your arrival and departure.
Book before you travel
Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance and reserve now, pay later make the cruise easy to hold.[1]
Pack for the fjord
A windproof layer, shoes with grip and a small bottle of water cover most of what either day asks of you.
Keep an eye on the sky
Fjord weather changes quickly. The boat gives you shelter; the trail leaves you exposed.
See Preikestolen from the water on the electric cruise
from US$76Reserve now & pay later
